Ok, here goes...I cast on using long-tail, and I always thought that if the tail is on the bottom right, that is the RS facing me. If the tail is on the bottom left, that is the WS facing me. So, if I follow the pattern, when I knit 9 rows, the 9th row is a RS row. So how can the next row (Row 1 of pattern) be a RS row???

Yes, that is generally true about the tail, but since your first 9 rows were all knit (garter stitch) it doesn't really matter which side is considered the RS since garter is a reversible stitch.

You can knit another row so that works out if you want, but what you can do is place a removable marker (like a safety pin) on one side and that will be your RS. Then you don't have to worry about the tail. I've been knitting for 6 yrs and I still often do that.

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Jan

When asking questions ALWAYS post the name and a link for the pattern if you have it.

The garter st is reversible and where your tail is depens on the CO you use, so that's not a good way to tell. What the pattern is doing though is telling you that the 10th row, R 1, will be the RS from now on and the row after that has purls on it which will be the WS.